Odaily News Ethereum developers activated the Pectra upgrade at epoch 364032 at 6:05 (EST) today, the most significant network update since the 2022 "merge". Pectra includes 11 Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) aimed at improving staking efficiency, user experience, validator operations, and Layer 2 scalability. The upgrade was rigorously tested on the Holesky, Sepolia, and Hoodi testnets, with the successful deployment of the Hoodi testnet paving the way for the mainnet upgrade. Core improvements include EIP-7702 to implement account abstraction and support user wallets to execute smart contract logic; EIP-7251 to increase the maximum effective staking limit of validators from 32 ETH to 2,048 ETH; and EIP-7691 to double the throughput of Layer 2 data storage (blobs) to reduce transaction costs. In addition, proposals such as EIP-7002 and EIP-6110 further optimize validator operations and network efficiency. This upgrade lays the foundation for the future Fusaka upgrade, which will introduce Verkle Trees and PeerDAS technology to achieve greater scalability. (The Block)

Odaily News The Metis AI high-performance chain Hyperion testnet was officially launched at midnight Beijing time last night. Hyperion is a high-performance, AI-optimized Layer 2 solution designed for AI, DePIN, DeFi and GameFi. It expands the Metis ecosystem through parallel execution, decentralized sorting and AI-native infrastructure, while maintaining Ethereum security and using METIS as the Gas token. Hyperion is developed based on the Metis SDK, and redefines the scalability of Layer 2 through MetisVM, MetisDB, combined with Optimism Rollup technology and parallel transaction execution. The Metis SDK integrates the Alith Agent framework developed by LazAI to simplify on-chain verification and off-chain computing tasks, making Hyperion the first Layer 2 protocol to support large language model (LLM) native on-chain execution.

Odaily News XT has launched LUCIC (Lucidum Coin) and opened the LUCIC/USDT trading pair in the Innovation Zone (MEMEs+Layer 2). Lucidum Coin (LUCIC) is a new generation of meme coin based on BEP-20, integrating artistic expression, philosophical depth and blockchain technology innovation. Its name comes from the Latin word "lux" (meaning "light"), symbolizing the pursuit of transparency, fairness and people-oriented concepts.

Odaily News Aztec announced that its public beta network is now officially online, bringing a Layer 2 solution focused on privacy protection to the Web3 ecosystem. The network aims to achieve efficient privacy transactions through zero-knowledge proof technology and support DApp developers to build secure and anonymous decentralized applications.

Odaily News Unichain announced that it has become the first Layer 2 to build blocks in a trusted execution environment (TEE), supporting MEV protection, verifiable prioritization, and transaction rollback protection. The upgrade reduces MEV value loss by encrypting the mempool and prioritizing, and supports a publicly verifiable block construction mechanism. At the same time, after enabling the rollback protection function, users can avoid paying gas for failed transactions in specific applications, improving price accuracy and block space utilization.

Odaily News Sony's Ethereum Layer 2 blockchain Soneium announced a partnership with Plume, a modular Layer 2 blockchain focused on real-world asset finance (RWAfi). Through Plume's cross-chain interoperability layer SkyLink, Soneium users will be provided with on-chain RWA staking and yield product access, including tokenized U.S. Treasuries and private credit assets. The integration will leverage a network of issuers that manage more than $4 billion in tokenized assets, including Ondo Finance, a major tokenized U.S. Treasury issuer. (The Block)

Odaily News Base has achieved the first phase of Ethereum Rollup decentralization, launched a fault proof mechanism and established a security committee. Base developers said that the network has reached the "first phase" of Vitalik Buterin's Rollup decentralization framework and has made progress in reducing dependence on centralized participants. The Base team said: "Base has achieved the first phase of decentralization, which is a key milestone in the process of building an open global on-chain economy. This goal was achieved by launching permissionless fault proofs and increasing the decentralization of the contract upgrade process through a security committee." Base was launched in August 2023 and was developed using Optimism's OP Stack package. It has now grown into the Layer 2 rollup with the largest TVL on Ethereum. Previously, Base was classified as a Phase 0 Rollup, mainly because it still relied on a centralized sorter controlled by Coinbase and its mainnet lacked a fully operational permissionless fault proof. (The Block)

Odaily News Bitget Launchpool project Zora (ZORA) is now open for investment, with a total prize pool of 26,830,000 ZORA. The lockup deadline is 21:00 (UTC+8) on April 28. Two lockup pools are open in this round of Launchpool, details are as follows: BGB lockup pool Ordinary user pledge limit: 5,000 BGB VIP user pledge limit: 30,000 BGB Total prize pool: 23,497,000 ZORA ZORA lockup pool pledge limit: 8,000,000 ZORA Total prize pool: 3,333,000 ZORA Zora Network is an Ethereum-based Layer 2 blockchain solution, specifically for creators, artists and brands, to build an ecosystem with NFT as the core, and has received participation from Haun Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, Paradigm and other institutions.

Odaily News Ethereum Layer 2 Scroll is launching an upgrade that promises to reduce fees by 90% while providing higher network throughput and security. The team described the upgrade, called Euclid, as the "most significant protocol transformation" since the launch of the mainnet. The Euclid upgrade will make five major improvements to the protocol, including migration to a new L2 "certifier" and state commitment system, optimized rollup processing, and support for EIP-7702 and RIP-7212. (The Block)

Odaily News According to the official announcement, BitMart will launch Zora (ZORA) for the first time at 21:00 (ET) on April 23, and the ZORA/USDT trading pair will be launched. ZORA is an NFT market protocol dedicated to creating a new paradigm for creators. It supports the creation, management and collection of NFTs, and enables people to build their own markets around their works. In addition, ZORA has launched the Layer 2 network ZORA NETWORK based on the OP Stack. The network provides faster and more efficient Ethereum expansion for artists, creators and communities, and will directly integrate all existing ZORA tools.